


Healthy Resentment

by JasnNCarly



Category: One Life to Live
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-02-20
Updated: 2011-02-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 16:57:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15369123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasnNCarly/pseuds/JasnNCarly
Summary: Matthew and Nate try to get along for their girlfriends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Healthy Resentment**  
  
 **~*~Chapter 1~*~**  
  
A groan left his lips as he fell back against the lockers, trying desperately not to roll his eyes, “Do we have to go out with them? I mean is he even supposed to be around Dani? Todd’s set on keeping them apart, isn’t he?”  
  
Destiny stuffed her books into her locker, going over the details yet again, “Yes, Matthew, which is why I casually invited Dani to tag along and you did the same for Nate.”  
  
His eyes shot to hers, a soft laugh of disbelief leaving his lips, “Are you kidding me? You know that everyone knows I hate him, right? Why would I invite him anywhere?”  
  
“I don’t know.” She placed a hand on the collar of his shirt, flirtatiously gazing up into his eyes, “Maybe you’d do it to impress a girl. One who would be extremely grateful for your ability to be the bigger man, set things aside just for the sake of her friends.”  
  
With a crooked grin, Matthew checked for company in the empty hallway before leaning towards her, “How grateful are we talking?”  
  
“I’d say we’d be heading into make out territory for that guy.”  
  
“Oh well then…” Matthew smiled his way into a kiss with her, his heart fluttering at the opportunity to do so openly – clear on who his heart belonged to.   
  
After their first kiss, he had been determined to prove to her it was no mistake and quickly seized the opportunity to make her his girlfriend. All of these actions had earned him little points with her friends who desperately wanted Destiny with Darren, but Matthew could care less as he figured it had always been the two of them against the world.  
  
Upon pulling away, he narrowed his eyes at her and sighed, “You realize I would do this for no one but you, right?”  
  
“Yes, and that’s exactly how you should live your life. Doing everything you can to make your girl happy.” Destiny shut her locker, walking with his arm wrapped around her, “Even if it means dealing with Nate, someone who really is a good guy.”  
  
“Look as determined as I may be to make you happy, considering Nate as a good guy isn’t part of deal. Can we agree on that, please?”  
  
Destiny sighed heavily as they rounded the corner, “Fine.”  
  
They stopped short, spotting a familiar adversary, and tried to hide their easy romance. Sensing her immediate discomfort, Matthew dropped his arm from around her.  
  
Darren stared at the two of them, heartbroken, while Destiny looked back with apology. Adjusting the backpack on his shoulder, he hardened his expression and spoke directly to Matthew, “Could I get a minute with Destiny?”  
  
Returning Darren’s glare, he gave a cold response, “That’s up to her.”  
  
“Please, stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Destiny snapped at Darren, touching Matthew’s arm and requesting with a gentle tone, “Give us just a second, then we could head out.”  
  
Matthew gave her hand a gentle squeeze, assuring her, “I won’t be far.” Then bumped his way past Darren, certain he would not let anyone come between him and Destiny again.  
  
~*~  
  
“I hate that we have to sneak around. All because…” Nate trailed off, clearly still blaming himself for their relationship status. Because he could not control himself, he was being separated from the only girl who ever met something to him, “…I’m just sorry for—“  
  
“I wanted to be with you, Nate. And my dad does not get to decide who I’m with.” Dani took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers, “We’ll make this work as long as we work together.”  
  
“Yeah, but Matthew Buchanan? We know Destiny’s on our side, but he’s useless.”   
  
“Nate—“  
  
“No, that guy only cares about himself. Who’s to say he won’t just tell your dad that we’re planning this date tonight? God knows he’s got the biggest mouth in Llanview.”  
  
Dani groaned, shutting her eyes and signaling just behind him, “You should’ve stopped.”  
  
Straightening to a stand, knowing what she meant, he plastered a smile on his face and turned to face their sneaky company, “Matthew! I was just telling Dani how glad I am that you’re helping us out.”  
  
“I see some things never change. You’re still a liar.” He crossed his arms, speaking through a tight jaw, “Just so we’re clear, I could care less about how you feel about me. But Destiny asked me to do this, and that’s why I will not tell Todd or anyone else about our little run in tonight.”  
  
“Right because you’d never backstab someone you care about.”  
  
“I’d never backstab Destiny.” Matthew’s confident statement caused Dani to shrink slightly, well aware of the bitterness between the three of them, “It’s called loyalty, Nate. Your family has a lot to learn about it.”  
  
Nate stepped forward, ignoring Dani’s soft sigh behind him, and narrowed his eyes at Matthew, “You realize, if Darren had never screwed up, you wouldn’t even be a part of this equation, right? You’d be the little rich boy sulking in the corner.”  
  
“All I know is if you weren’t a scumbag, I wouldn’t be with the right girl now.” His statement caused Dani’s eyes to widen as Nate’s hands balled into fists, causing a smile to Matthew to smile in satisfaction, “Guess I should be thanking you." Nate's heavy breathing did little to stop him, "Doesn’t it feel good to get everything out in the open? I know I feel better. What do you think, Dani?”  
  
Dani pulled Nate back by his bulging bicep, forcing herself to be the peacemaker, “Matthew, we know how hard it must be to do this tonight. We just appreciate you letting everything go for a night to help us out.”  
  
“You’re welcome.” Matthew glanced down the hall way, smiling towards Destiny as she approached, “But I’m not doing it for either of you.”  
  
Destiny presented a hopeful smile to her friends, quickly sensing the tension, and lost the last ounce of her happy, “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing. I was just letting them know I was in on the plan.” Matthew’s smile returned the moment Destiny’s did, reaching for her hand, “We’re going to make sure Todd doesn’t interfere with our double date tonight, right, guys?”  
  
Dani nodded towards Destiny with a grin, taking Nate’s hand and easing some of his tension, “Matthew’s right. The four of us are gonna have a great time.”  
  
Shifting her eyes to Nate, Destiny asked quietly, “You good with this?”  
  
He bounced his eyes from Dani’s to hers, nodding slowly, “Looking forward to it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**~*~Chapter 2~*~**  
  
Matthew did a third check of his watch, blowing out a deep breath and swaying back then forth on his feet. After a quick glance at Nate, he rolled his eyes and shook his head, “We could pretend to have a conversation before they get here, you know? In case someone’s watching.”  
  
Forcing a smile, Nate shrugged his shoulders, “Well, what do you want to talk about? The fact that you’re a jerk or a complete idiot?”  
  
“We could talk about how you’re a liar or how your whole family is a bunch of cheaters.” Matthew smiled widely at his opponent, completely unwilling to back down or accept his opinion as fact, “Your call.”  
  
Nate said nothing more, looking away and taking a deep breath to calm his nerves,  _Come on, Dani, before I kill him_.  
  
“There she is.” A breath of relief left Matthew’s lips as smiled at the approaching ladies, immediately accepting Destiny’s affection as she embraced him and gave his lips a quick kiss.  
  
Dani was slightly more cautious, feigning a surprised look towards him, “Seen any of my dad’s guards or spies yet?”  
  
“Not yet. Does that mean I can sneak a kiss?” Nate was pleased with her answer as she pressed her lips to his regardless of who may be spying on them.  
  
“All right, all right,” Destiny wedged herself between them, urging everyone towards the theater entrance, “we gotta get in before the movie starts or Todd finds us out. Let’s go.”   
  
~*~  
  
Nate had a hard time adjusting to their situation, especially as Matthew and Destiny got to be so openly affectionate. What Destiny saw in Matthew, he’d never understand. She was a good girl, beautiful and brainy; yet she wasted her time on a spoiled rich kid who decided he wanted her only after Darren did.  
  
“You doing okay?” Dani whispered to him, screams of a woman on screen echoing in the background. Leaning into, she stared up at him with her big brown eyes and smiled sympathetically, “It was the only way to hang out tonight.”  
  
Nate tore his eyes away from their friends, pleased to find his girlfriend offering the distraction of her adoring stare, “I know. I just don’t get what she sees in that guy.”  
  
“She sees in him, what I see in you.”  
  
“Which is?”  
  
“A great guy who is her first love.” Dani’s grin grew wide as Nate slipped his arm around her, pulling her close, “She can’t see anything but him, just like I can see nothing but you.”  
  
Nate dipped his head down to envelope her lips with his, allowing his bitter feelings towards their company to somewhat dissolve as Dani made his thoughts evaporate.  
  
Just as their kiss deepened, they could clearly hear Destiny clearing her throat nearby.   
  
Nate chuckled to himself as Dani pulled away, spotting Destiny’s elbow gently tapping his girlfriend’s side. Easing into his seat, he allowed her head to fall on his shoulder as Destiny did the same with his adversary.  
  
~*~  
  
As the lights came up in the theater, Destiny bounced her eyes between her friends and boyfriend. Wondering if they could really do one more hour together, she made a simple suggestion, “Does anyone wanna grab something to eat?”  
  
“Can’t.” Dani let out a heavy sigh, reluctantly sitting up and away from Nate, “I promised my dad that I’d be straight home after the movie. It was the only way my mom could get him to agree to let me leave tonight.”  
  
“Oh, well that sucks.” Destiny glanced over her shoulder at Matthew, “Guess you gotta go too?”  
  
“Not a chance.” Matthew slipped his arm around her, enjoying her laugh as he held her close, “I’ll drive Dani back then we can go get something.”  
  
In a dreamy state, Destiny’s smiled from ear to ear, “Okay.”  
  
Matthew’s eyes met Nate’s as he took her hand, “Let’s give them a minute to say goodnight.”  
  
Pleased he offered to let them do so, Destiny followed him down the stairs and out of the theater.   
  
He waited until they were out to release her hand and playfully fell against the wall once they were away from their company.  
  
Destiny crossed her arms in response, giving him a dismissive stare, “What is it, Matthew?”  
  
“Do you know how much strength it takes to ignore that jerk Nate? To ignore the fact that he’s right there, sucking air into that big head?”  
  
“You’re forgetting that he’s my friend.”  
  
“Oh, trust me, I haven’t forgotten.” Matthew narrowed his eyes at her, confessing with a raised eyebrow, “Have I told you how much I hate that little fact?”  
  
“Why? He’s with Dani, and I have no interest in him.” Closing some distance between them, she stood beside him and allowed her eyes to wander towards the ceiling, “Besides, I got my own jerk to worry about.”  
  
“Nice, Des. Real nice.”   
  
“Aw...” Destiny wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing at his cheek and neck to pick up his mood.   
  
Soon, they were locked in soft kiss which sent his heart soaring to new sights – miles away from where he had been just moments ago.  
  
Upon pulling away, Matthew enjoyed the way flirtation and adoration danced in the deep browns of her eyes. So much so that he felt nearly enough courage to tell her what had been on his mind lately, three little words he felt deeply yet left unspoken out of fear.  
  
“What?” The question left her lips with a soft, amused breath as she leaned into him.  
  
 _Here goes nothing_. Matthew parted his lips, prepared to respond, when her eyes left his.  _Damn it_.  
  
“All right, Buchanan, be careful with my girls.” Nate’s sarcasm drained Matthew of any politeness as he gave his arm a rough punch, “Or we’ll have problems.”  
  
“As if we didn’t have enough already.” Matthew’s grin did little to disguise his disgust, especially as his girlfriend slightly jabbed his ribs, “You ready, Dani?”  
  
Dani swung Nate’s hand, reluctantly releasing it with a pout, “I guess.”  
  
“We’ll catch you later, Nate.” Destiny gave Nate a wave, wrapping an arm supportively around Dani, and led her down the corridor.  
  
Matthew began to follow, a step behind, when Nate called after him, “Remember, Matthew, don’t make me kick your ass.”  
  
“Wouldn’t know anything about that but,” Matthew walked backwards, responding to him with a smirk, “you can definitely kiss it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**3~*~**  
  
“Thank you for doing this tonight. I know it was hard for you.”   
  
“Hanging out with Nate is pretty difficult, but for you…” Matthew smiled over at her as they continued to walk through the park, hand in hand, “I could put up with just about anything.”  
  
“It’s pretty weird how everything just switches up. We went from nothing to something and Dani loses everything all because her dad’s crazy.”  
  
Letting out a heavy sigh, Matthew released her hand and wrapped his arm around her, “Do we have to keep talking about them? Can’t we talk about something else?”  
  
Destiny stopped suddenly, staring up into his eyes with flirtatious mischief, “Like what?”   
  
Resisting the urge to reacquaint himself with her mocha kiss, Matthew cleared his throat with a nervous laugh, “There was something really important I wanted to talk to you about.”  
  
“O…kay, is it bad?”  
  
“I hope not.”   
  
Destiny gave him a weary expression, taking one step backward, “Okay, that doesn’t sound good, Matthew.”  
  
 _That’s just because I’m freaking out here_. Keeping the thought to himself, he reached into his jean pocket and blew out a deep breath. He held the box tight in his fist, making sure he locked their stare down before presenting it to her.  
  
She gave no sign of happiness or disappointment, just absolute surprise at her eyes widened at the sight of tiny jewelry box nestled in his palm.  
  
Matthew forced a lump in his throat down, offering an anxious smile, “Don’t you want to know what it is?”  
  
“I…we…” Destiny stopped on her third attempt to speak, her eyes fixated on the box.  
  
“Don’t freak out. It’s not like I want us married or anything.”  
  
“So it’s not a ring?”  
  
“Would you just open it?”  
  
“Why can’t you just tell me?”  
  
Matthew shook his head, letting out a sharp laugh and revealing what was inside. Once he had, he watched her take in the detail and tried to gather his thoughts.  
  
The small silver band was spotted with tiny amethyst stones; each seemed darker in the moonlight. By the tears glossing her chocolate stare, he could tell his choice was perfect.  
  
“There’s an inscription if you ever take it out of the box, you know?”  
  
Destiny opened her mouth to speak, snapping it shut when a sound failed to appear again. She trembled when she tried to reach for it, steadied only by his free hand stopping hers and lacing their fingers.   
  
“You look really cute when you’re speechless, you know that?” Matthew’s comment caused her eyes to narrow, comforting him that he still knew how to switch her mood so well. Releasing her hand, he retrieved the ring before returning the box to his pocket. His hands held the ring up to her eyesight, the inscription simple and perfect,  _M &D forever_.  
  
Destiny’s eyes finally met his, a soft objection leaving her lips, “You didn’t have to do this.”  
  
“Yes, I did. Because…it’s about time I made you some kind of promise about us.” Matthew reached for her hand, sliding the ring onto her finger, “As long as you let me, I’m gonna be there for you, Des. I won’t hurt you or let you down again. You just have to trust me and…how I feel about you.”  
  
Destiny held his hand tight, waiting for his eyes to drift up to hers again, “If you say it, I’ll believe you. Only you.”  
  
Thankful his plan had not been an absolute disaster, Matthew leaned into the kiss she offered him and lost himself in the tender touch of her lips. Where many had failed him, he found comfort in knowing she understood him and never judged – never left.  
  
Reluctantly allowing her to break their kiss, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against him, “Now, was that so bad?”  
  
“No.” Destiny held her hand out, smiling at the band, “This is definitely unexpected, not bad.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“…it’s perfect.”   
  
~*~  
  
“It’s not fair.” Dani sighed in a whisper, careful to watch her bedroom door as she pressed her cell phone to her ear, “Nate, we’ve done nothing wrong.”  
  
“Yeah, except the part where you and I almost—you know.”  
  
How could she forget? Things had gotten out of control so fast she couldn’t remember breathing much less thinking until her father caught them. Dani shook off the embarrassment long enough to respond, “Fine, I’m not ready to go there, but it doesn’t mean my dad gets to decide who I wanna be with or—or if I can even see you.”  
  
“We’ll wait. On all accounts, okay? Eventually, your father won’t have any say in what we do and…we’ll figure out when we’re ready.”   
  
“I don’t blame you if you wanna break up. I’ve made a mess of everything, and it’s—it’s not like there’s anything in it for you if we stay together.”  
  
“So that’s it? You think that’s all I’m after?”  
  
“No, I just—I know you’re…experienced. The last thing you should put up with is some virgin with a psycho dad.”  
  
“Would you stop putting yourself down?” His tone was frustrated and exhausted – two things she feared would eventually break them up, “Dani, I care about you. Whoever I’ve been with or what I’ve done, it’s doesn’t matter now because all I see is you.”  
  
She felt her heart jump at his proclamation, her eyes flooding with tears, “Really?”  
  
“Yes, but at some point I need you to believe that for yourself. I’m with you. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“I promise.”  
  
She forced her tears back with a smile, sniffling quietly, “Goodnight, Nate.”  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
~*~  
  
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”  
  
“You better.” Destiny gave him one last lingering kiss, giggling against his lips when he held her there for a moment and refused to let go.  
  
Watching her walk away, his heartbeat finally began to slow down and return to a normal rate – but the grin was permanent on his lips. He took one last glance at the stars, hoping to burn this night to memory, when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.   
  
On guard, he spun around and felt his high slightly affected, “Midnight run, Nate?”  
  
Nate slowed his jog, breathing heavily as he came to an angry stop in front of his adversary, “I had a lot on my mind.”  
  
He crossed his arms, snickering, “Wow, and that must be painful for you considering you rarely think at all.”  
  
“What’s your issue with me, Buchanan? You not happy enough with Destiny so you got give me hell for dating Dani,  _ **still**_?”  
  
“Not that you know a damn thing but this has nothing to do with Destiny. I’m exactly where I want to be. But you,” Matthew smirked, disgusted by Nate in every way, “let’s just say I don’t want to see you or your family happy anywhere near me.”  
  
“You’re such a—” Nate trailed off, taking a survey of their surroundings, “Did you hear that?”  
  
“Hear what?”  
  
“Nothing, I just thought I—” Without warning, Nate collapsed.  
  
“What the hell?” Matthew dropped to his knees, trying to shake Nate’s dead weight back to life, “Nate! Wake up!”   
  
When he remained unresponsive, Matthew immediately reached for his cell and began to dial 911; however, he never got to tell the dispatcher a single detail as his whole body went limp and the world faded to black.


End file.
